Discharge mechanism for peanut-vending machines.



B. M. DA-VIS. DISCHARGE MECHANISM FOR PEANUT VENDING MACHINES.

' APILIOATIOH FILED JULY 11, 1908.

191 1,945 Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

BETHUEL M. DAVIS, OF MORRIS, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPH G. COLEMAN, OFCHICAGO,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. ILLINOIS.

DISCHARGE MECHANISM FOR PEANUT-VENDING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

Application filed. July 11, 1908. Serial No. 443,118.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BETHUEL M. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Morris, in the county of Grundy and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Discharge Mechanism forPeanut-Vending Machines, of which the following is a specification.

In peanut vending machines of the. ordinary type, the peanuts aredischarged directly into a cup-shaped plate, whence they are removed bythe hand of the purchaser; and this method of vending peanuts is highlyobjectionable, for the reason that it is difficult to remove the peanutsfrom the cup or concavity into which they are discharged, and for thestill more important reason that the contact of the fingers or hand ofeach purchaser in the cup or concavity tends to promote filthorunsanitary conditions, so that people will refuse to pur-,

chase peanuts from a machine of this character.

The object of the present invention is to provide a gate, immediatelybelow the mouth of the discharge chute, upon which the peanuts will bedischarged in such position as to enable the purchaser to receive theminto the hollow of his hand by tilting the gate from a point whichprevents the fingers or hand of the purchaser from contacting thesurface upon which the peanuts are supported, thereby preventing theaccumulation of filth or dirt and overcoming the unsanitary conditionsabove noted.

A further object of the invention is to so construct and locate the gatethat it will be automatically swung out of position by the naturalmovement of the purchasers hand, when placing the hand in position toreceive the peanuts, thereby obviating the necessity for providingauxiliary means for accomplishing this result or complicating themechanism to an extent which would render it difficult for the purchaserto understand its operation. 7

Further objects will appear from a detailed description of theinvention, which consists in the features of construction andcombination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the base of thepeanutvending machine, showing the gate of the present invention; Fig. 2 a topor plan view of the base, showing the discharge chute and the method ofsupporting the gate; Fig. 3 a sectional elevation of the dischargechute, showing the gate closed, in full lines, an'd indicating, indotted lines, the position of the gate when open; and Fig. 4 an enlargedperspective view of the gate.

The device of the present invention is applied to the base of a vendingmachine having side walls 5 which inclose a floor 6, which floor, in itsrear portion, is dished to provide a coin receptacle 7. The dished wallforming the 'coin receptacle merges into a sloping front wall 8 which,in conjunction with surrounding sidewalls 9 and a front wall 10, givesto the structure a chute formation adapted to discharge peanuts nearthefront of the machine and immediately above the base plate 11, the rearend 12 of which is upturned to an extent sufficient to contact the underface of the coin receptacle 7 The front side of the machine is openabove the base plate 11 to afford ingress for the purchasers hand belowthe mouth of the chute.

The, gate 13, which more especially forms the subject matter of thepresent invention, is in the form of a flat plate normally suspended ashort distance below the open mouth of the chute by means of hangers 14which embrace the sides of the chute and terminate, at their upper ends,in trunnions 15 which are adapted to be entered through bayonet slots 16in the upper floor of the base portion of the machine laterally adjacentthe chute. The trunnions rest within recesses 17 cut in the top of thefloor, and the gate is provided, on its top edge, with a lug 18 which isadapted to contact the rear side of the chute to limit the forward swingof the gate. The gate is further provided, on its rear edge, with adepending flange 19 which serves as a stop or abutment for the fingersof the purchaser when the hand is inserted beneath the chute.

In use, the rear edge of the gate being weighted in excess of the frontedge will normally hold the gate in its forward position with the lug 18in contact with the cient to permit the purchaser to insert his fingeror hand under the chute and in contact with the supporting surface ofthe gate, which latter is thereby protected against the accumulation offilth or dirt which might contaminate the peanuts. In order to re ceivethe peanuts into the hand, the latter will be inserted beneath the chutein the natural manner, thereby bringing the finger tips against theflange 19, so that continued movement of the hand will swing back thegate and allow the peanuts to discharge into the hollow of the hand.Contact of the hand against the gate being limited to the under surfacethereof, the upper surface will be protected at all times not onlyagainst contamination by the hand of the purchaser but also against theaccumulation of dust or cinders which frequently collect in the cup orreceptacle employed to receive peamu's in vending machines of the usualtype.

The invention is of such simple character that it does not materiallycomplicate the mechanism nor impose upon the. purchaser the necessity ofmanipulating the discharge other than by a natural movement of the handto position to receive the peanuts. At

' the same time the entire discharge of peanuts will be received intothe palm of the hand, which obviates the necessity of scraping thepeanuts up out of the dish or receptacle, and is a much easier method ofsecuring peanuts than that previously employed.

lVhat I regard as new and desire to se cure by Letters Patent is:

1. 111 a vending machine, the combination of a discharge chute havingthe edges of its discharge mouth lying in a substantially horizontalplane, a flat gate normally lying in a horizontal plane underneath themouth of the discharge chute and secured thereto in a manner to permitof a retraction from the mouth of the chute, and a stop depending fromthe rear side of the gate and at a point beneath the rear edge of thechute and adapted to be engaged by the fingers of the purchaser formoving the gate rearwardly as the palm of the hand is moved to positionbeneath the chute, substantially as described.

Q. In a vending machine, the combination of a discharge chute having theedges of its discharge mouth lying in a substantially horizontal plane,a flat swinging gate pivoted to and normally lying in a horizontal planebeneath the mouth of the chute, and a stop depending from the rear sideof the gate and substantially in line with the rear edge of the chuteand adapted to be engaged by the linger tips of the purchaser l'orswinging the gate rearwardly away from the mouth. of the chute as thepalm of the hand is moved to position beneath the chute, sub stantiallyas described.

3. In a vending machine, the combination of a chute, a gate comprising alloor normally occupying a position slightly below the mouth. of thedischarge chute, hangers connected with the floor and emln'acing thesides of the chute, means for pivoting the hangers, a lug adapted toengage the rear side of the chute when the gate is swung to its normalposition, and a flange depending from the rear of the chute and adaptedto be contacted by the hand of the purchaser for swinging back the gateas the hand is moved to position beneath the chute, substantially asdescribed.

BETHUEL M. DAVIS.

itnesses E. Vamwnrcrrr, Jas. V. PENN.

